Love and Fountain Pens

© 2008

Brad Forsythe was a hottie. True, he was pretty aggressive and a year younger than me, but what do such things matter when you are in love? At seven years old, he seemed mature enough to my eight year old mind.

My first experience with Brad was when he declared, on the way home from school, that he was going to give me a kiss. I didn't know him yet, and was pretty sure my mother wouldn't approve of me allowing strange young men to kiss me. So, I ran. Brad chased me all the way home, about 5 small town blocks. On reaching our yard, I ran to the mulberry tree in the back yard and climbed it.

Brad used all his charms to try to get me to climb down, but I stayed in my safe perch away from any danger of kissing. Then, he held out his final temptation. A beautiful fountain pen. For those of you too young to know about fountain pens, they were pens with a pointed metal tip. On the side of the pen there was a small, long lever. The pen would be dipped into a bottle of ink, the lever would be lifted up, and the pen would draw ink into it. You would then write on paper with the pen, and, in my case, always blotching the paper with leaking ink and getting the ink all over my hands.

So there stood Brad at the bottom of the mulberry tree, looking adoringly up at me and holding out the beautiful pen, offering it, and saying if I came down I could have the pen, and he wouldn't kiss me.

Well, what was a girl to do? I decided to believe him and accept his gift. I climbed down from the tree, and Brad handed me the pen. I took it in my hand, and he, the sly devil, stole a kiss before running away and leaving me with the pen.

Thus began our relationship. I had my first boyfriend. I don't remember there being any more kisses exchanged, but we played together often, until we would hear, "Braaaad!" which was his mother calling him home.

Brad had one other thing that increased my love and admiration for him. I had no bicycle, but he had what seemed to me a very fine bike. You know how young women are about fellows who have their own transportation. I coveted that bike.

Brad wasn't the only one in the friendship who had charms. I gave much thought to what I could offer him for the bike. I finally came up with the plan to offer him an old alarm clock that my mother gave to me for a toy. It was surprisingly easy. He liked the clock, so we made a trade - a bike for a broken alarm clock. We were both happy with the deal, but, for some reason, my mother seemed to think I should keep the clock and made me give back the bike. It didn't seem fair to have to give the bike back when Brad was okay with the deal! But mother was firm about it.

I had a girlfriend named Carolyn, who went by the nickname of Snookie. Something else that I admired...nicknames. I tried to make up one for myself, but nothing really worked. Snookie was really cute. Throughout the years of our friendship, I was often jealous of her cuteness. She had an allure even at 8 years old.

My relationship with Brad cooled when he succumbed to her allure one day in the community swimming pool. I dropped under water with my eyes open and saw them under water, too, and kissing. He didn't even have to bribe her with a beautiful fountain pen!

That may have scarred me. Maybe it's the fault of Brad Forsythe that I have had issues with trust my entire life! You think?